


Duty

by fall_into_life



Series: Rising At The Fall [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Enter the dragon, Gen, Mentioned Bumbleby, One-Sided Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-18 00:26:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16106906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fall_into_life/pseuds/fall_into_life
Summary: Atlas calls Weiss back. She knew they would.This is unlikely to be enjoyable unless you've readEnter The Dragon.





	Duty

Weiss knew Mistral would call upon her again.

All things considered, they are remarkably patient. She files for bereavement leave, receives it, and quickly runs out of it. Her reporting officer knows exactly where she is and what she's doing, and she suspects he has more sympathy for her now that video footage of Mistral has been released.

Leaving Patch is precisely as difficult as she thought it would be.

Ruby clings, Yang isn't much better, and Blake watches from behind them with wary eyes. None of them want her to go, Weiss included, but she accepted this price when she sold herself to the Atlas military in exchange for being able to watch over Winter.

How well that worked.

She has another year left on her contract, a year of fighting Atlas Command on what assignments she will and won't take, a year of being privately disgusted with her own country. She'll serve it with the strongest distinction she can, and never look back.

"Be careful," Ruby demands, hands on Weiss' shoulders. Her eyes have aged. They've all changed, but Ruby had the furthest to go. Weiss doesn't know that she likes it.

A part of Weiss reminds her that it's not her place to like it, that Ruby is who she is just as they all are who they are, but Ruby is _hers_. She's Weiss' partner, her family. In many ways she's Weiss' sister, though she shies away from using that word.

"As if anything could threaten me," Weiss waves a hand, exaggerating her usual confidence. 

"Don't get cocky," Yang warns, pulling her into a hug. Her voice is a touch better.

 _Yang_ telling _her_ not to 'get cocky' is laughable, but Weiss is quickly distracted by Yang pressing in close. It's always been pleasant, Weiss' protests aside, but after Mistral... she keeps remembering walking in on them making love. Being stunned by it, utterly floored. She was completely unable to move a single muscle in her body, staring at her two friends lost in one another. It's distracting.

Blake doesn't leave the porch to say goodbye. They've already said their farewells, and it's only Blake's stubbornness that keeps her out of bed, not Weiss needing to see her one last time. (It's still good to see her.)

Weiss lingers longer than she should. It's difficult not to. By their own standards of conduct, the Atlesian military cannot keep her deployed for the entire remaining year of her contract, but this could still be her last glimpse of warmth and friendship for a very long time.

She smiles her goodbyes from the car, then locks her humanity away deep inside. Where she's going, it will only hurt her.


End file.
